No, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson aren't next

President Trump asked a pertinent question about the removal of historic statues and memorials in his Tuesday press conference, and it deserves a serious answer.

"Is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?"

Half the press greeted this as an absurd question or suggestion. But a sizable portion of the liberal commentariat nodded their heads: Why should we honor slaveowners? What's the relevant distinction here?

The immediate answer from Trump's critics on Twitter and on cable news was that Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson fought against the United States. Why should they be honored in public places alongside Washington and Jefferson, who created the United States and raised it from a young age? This distinction seems good, but it begs the question. It assumes that rebellion is obviously worse than enslaving other human beings.

There is, however, a much stronger distinction to draw. In each case, ask not what a person might have done wrong, but for what reason they are being honored.